STE: Power Couplings
by ZenosParadox
Summary: RS friendship, All. Reed and Sato wind up with crossed wires but end up in the power couplings on account of vegetarian Klingons and tribbles. 3 of 3 chapters.
1. Seekers

*****  
  
Title: Power Couplings  
  
Author: ZensoParadox  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: RS friendship, all. Reed and Sato begin with crossed wires and wind up amid the power couplings on account of vegetarian Klingons and Tribbles?  
  
Disclaimer: The character names belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.  
  
POWER COUPLINGS  
  
CHAPTER 1: SEEKERS  
  
Bukah appeared on the viewscreen and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed cringed when he recognized the Klingon female. Getting knocked unconscious by her had not diminished the encoding of her features.   
  
Ensign Hoshi Sato picked that exact moment to glance over her shoulder at the Lieutenant. She obviously recognized Bukah as well, but the mischievous smirk on her face didn't help Reed's chagrin.   
  
The Lieutenant threw back a look that said Just-You-Wait before informing Captain Archer, "Sir, there are only minimal defensive weapons on the ship."  
  
Sato ignored the threat and merely started planning her next strategy for getting a blush out of Reed. The Communications Officer opened the comm channel so the Captain could respond.  
  
"It's good to see you again, uh, Captain Bukah?" began Captain Jonathan Archer. The vessel before them was not a standard Klingon vessel.  
  
"Captain Archer, I have no status, I am merely Bukah the Hunter. My ship is the Light Bringer. We could use your help." Bukah offered an expression that should have been a warm, friendly smile, but somehow failed to make it past predatory.   
  
Archer was jarred to even hear such a request from a Klingon. He motioned to Sato to mute the bridge and asked, "Is the UT working?"  
  
Sato nodded her head as she turned to note the incredulous stares of all the bridge officers. Even Sub-commander T'Pol had an eyebrow almost disappearing into her bangs.   
  
"Sir, the UT is operating perfectly and I can verify the translation is accurate--although I would have said Seeker instead of Hunter."   
  
Sato cleared her throat gently as she ended. She bit her lip to prevent her tirade of the way the UT simply failed to adjust for subtle changes in semantics. From his station Reed recognized the gesture and quickly decided to avoid eating with Hoshi and Travis tonight. The Professor was certain to give one of her lectures during which he invariably inserted foot into mouth. He saw Travis swivel his direction and shoot him a warning look. Desertion was not an option, it would seem.   
  
"We'll be happy to help in any way that we can, er, Bukah."   
  
The Klingon turned to a male colleague who remained standing stiffly. Bukah nudged him slightly with her elbow and the Klingon finally responded after clearing his throat. He barked, "I am Gurtag, the Hunter."  
  
"Seeker," corrected Sato for the Captain in a singsong voice. She began altering the code so the UT's Klingon-to-English translator would accept the word.   
  
Gurtag looked at Bukah once, pressed his lips together, and continued, "We have a cargo of special animals that must be delivered. The habitat is designed to maintain the juvenile status of our cargo, but it has broken. P--ugh--plezepusfxit."  
  
"Hoshi, what was that last bit?" Archer was again graced by a Klingon's friendly smile. It was an experience he could do without repeating.  
  
"Sir, I believe it was 'Please help us fix it.'" Sato couldn't help the smug smile that appeared on her face. Linguist 3, UT 0. This was going to be a good day. She finished modifying the UT's translator, but she would keep track of every time the word Seeker was accessed as part of her tally. She couldn't wait until dinner when she could regale her dining companions with her brilliance.  
  
"Please dock your vessel with ours. I'll send over my Chief Engineer to take a look." Archer smiled warmly, hoping that the Klingons wouldn't retaliate. They merely bowed. The Enterprise was soon coupled with the Light Bringer.  
  
-----  
  
"Greetings, human brothers," said Bukah with a graceful bow once the vessels were docked. Gurtag merely mumbled and concluded with a grunt. He remembered to bow when Bukah gave him a sideways glare.  
  
Archer exchanged a look with Trip Tucker. Klingons didn't offer greetings. "We're happy to help, but I must say, I am curious. Your demeanor is not what I would typically expect from Klingons."  
  
Bukah nodded lightly. "We are Seekers, Captain. After our last encounter, I discovered the Light. The Light brings us harmony, lets us see our place in the universe. We follow the ways of peace and harmony. I serve the Light, as does Gurtag."  
  
Tucker bit his lip at the thought of Bukah being a pacifist. He still remembered the bruise on Malcolm's lower back from the Armory Officer's last encounter with the woman. Tucker turned to her with a charming smile and said, "Well, I'm happy to help anyway that I can, Bukah. Just show me the way to this habitat."  
  
Gurtag looked displeased at this turn of events. He felt his anger rise at Tucker's overly friendly manner. He interrupted to say harshly, "I'll show you the compartment."  
  
Tucker noted the possessive look Gurtag threw at Bukah and put a stern expression on his face. He wasn't about to give the man the wrong impression. "Well, that'll be fine. Lead the way."  
  
As the men walked off, Archer said, "Bukah, I'd like to invite you and Gurtag to join us for dinner tonight. I'm sure Chef will find something to your liking."  
  
"We are vegetarians, Captain. Fresh vegetables and fruits would be welcomed," said Bukah with a slight smile.  
  
Archer coughed to hide how his jaw had dropped at this announcement. He couldn't wait to tell T'Pol.  
  
-----  
  
"I think I found the problem, Gurtag. Here, let me make these adjustments. That ought to do it," said Tucker with a satisfied smile. He rubbed his hands together as he considered the job.   
  
"Good, we can leave now," said the Klingon.  
  
"Captain Archer has invited us to dinner. We'll stay," said Bukah as she joined them, completely ignoring the displeased look on Gurtag's face. The two Klingons moved to confront each other and Tucker noted the heavy breathing from both parties. A low growl was beginning in Gurtag as he drew closer to Bukah.  
  
"I'm sure the Cap'n can move dinner up earlier. We understand that you need to be on your way with your cargo," said Tucker. Whatever the two were about to do, Trip figured he didn't want to witness it.  
  
Gurtag merely grunted before turning his back and sulking. At that moment, Sato entered calling out, "Commander, you're needed in Engineering."  
  
"Well, now, I feel real special. They couldn't just call me on the communicator?" asked Tucker as he collected his tools.  
  
"I came to see if the upgrade on the UT you have is working properly," said Sato. And to see how many points she had racked up from the UT, she thought.   
  
The humans turned when they heard a cooing noise. Bukah had removed one of the animals that was emitting the noise from the habitat.  
  
Sato's face lit up in delight as she saw the furry little animals. It seemed to emit a purring noise when Bukah stroked it. "What a lovely creature! What is it?"  
  
Bukah had a genuine smile on her face. "They're tribbles. They can identify those who seek the Light. The habitat is maintained so that they don't mature and begin reproducing."  
  
"May I?" asked Sato impulsively, but she wasn't disappointed. Bukah put the tribble into Sato's hand and the Comm Officer began to stroke the soft fur. "It's wonderful. It makes me feel calm, peaceful."  
  
"Yes. Tribbles are very sensitive. The children are impatient for their arrival."  
  
Bukah gathered the little tribble back into her hand at the same time Gurtag turned to see what was going on. The little creature hissed when Bukah got near Gurtag, but Bukah ignored the outburst and returned it to the habitat.  
  
"Thanks, Bukah. They're lovely," said Sato sincerely. She took the UT from Tucker while they walked back to Enterprise.  
  
"Odd for Klingons. You don't think they're hiding something, do ya?," said Tucker.  
  
"I think you're spending too much time with Lieutenant Reed, Commander," said Sato with an easy smile.  
  
"Jealous?" asked Tucker with a knowing grin. It was difficult to make Hoshi Sato blush, but he had found just the right circumstances that would send her cheeks into a lovely rose color. Of course he would pay for it later.  
  
-----  
  
On the Light Bringer, Gurtag stared at the tribbles in their habitat. Bukah was a special Klingon female and it was just Gurtag's luck that he had become attracted to her. He sensed her response to him, but knew that unless he could hold a tribble without it fussing, he would never engage her in a combat of passion. Although Seekers espoused pacifism, this did not change the mating rituals set forth by their biology. He opened the habitat again and began his daily exercise. Bukah soon called him away and he hurried to her side. The tribbles were left unattended--and with a habitat that wasn't quite sealed.  
  
*****  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Written April 3, 2003, and posted at LD. 11 pages. Written before tribbles were introduced on Enterprise.   
  
No reviews are necessary. Thanks for reading. 


	2. Dining Companions

CHAPTER 2: DINING COMPANIONS  
  
"You won't believe what the Klingons have on their ship," said Sato as she walked to the situation room. Reed and Mayweather were inspecting the schematics of the Klingon vessel.  
  
Reed was immediately on alert. "They have photon torpedoes? They're hiding them, aren't they?"  
  
"No, there was nothing of the sort." Sato noticed that Reed was disappointed, but continued. "Their cargo are these darling little creatures called tribbles. They're like really furry guinea pigs without the teeth--or tail. Or mouth or eyes, or feet, come to think of it."  
  
"Well, at least you won't have to worry about their bite," said Mayweather. "I remember seeing some before. They're banned in a lot sectors."  
  
"These are completely harmless, so it can't be the same creature, Travis."   
  
Sato reached over quickly to flick a thread off of Reed's shoulder. She held it between two fingers for a moment then let it fall to the ground. As she looked back to Reed's face, Sato could have sworn she saw a gleam in his eye. Well, their shift would soon be over. Who knew what the night would bring?  
  
-----  
  
"Boys, where are you going?" asked Sato when she saw Mayweather and Reed turning away from the direction of the mess hall at the end of alpha shift. They had just exited the lift.  
  
"Uh, well, I, uh, we have work to do in the Armory," said Reed.  
  
"Yeah, you know how I have to keep up my skills in different departments since I spend my days at helm, Hoshi," said Mayweather. He winked quickly at Reed. This was foolproof.  
  
Sato merely smiled sweetly at her boys. She approached them, put her hands on their shoulders with just the right grip to ensure they registered her displeasure and said, "Fine. I'll grab some sandwiches for us and we'll picnic in the Armory."  
  
"Food is prohibited in the Armory." Reed was in full Regulations mode.  
  
"You didn't have a problem with beer and cake if I remember," said Sato with a smile. She was in full To-Hell-With-Regulations mode.  
  
"I couldn't very well countermand an order from the Captain. The Armory is not a picnic ground!"   
  
The Lieutenant crossed his arms and faced down his enemy. Of course his enemy did have that little pout on her face now. And the doe-eyed look was coming--there it was! Damn it! The Armory Officer knew his resolve was crumbling, but for once he was going to stand firm against Hoshi's invasion of his domain. It was bad enough she created target practice sessions whenever the mood would strike her. Malcolm stood as tall as his compact frame would allow and looked at the Ensign sternly.  
  
"I understand, Lieutenant. I'll just find some other dinner companions in the mess hall tonight while you two play with your torpedoes."   
  
The men cleared their throats. How could such a nice girl make phrases sound so naughty?  
  
"I'll just have to retell the story of how we first met Bukah to anyone who will listen, LIEUTENANT," ended Hoshi with a reluctant sigh and a flick of her finger to Reed's collar.  
  
"Make mine turkey." A strategic retreat seemed prudent.  
  
"I'll take ham, and see if Chef has those little pickles, will you? I really like the gherkins since I never got them on the Horizon."  
  
"No cheese. Porthos keeps chasing people who even smell like they've been near cheese." Reed shook his head as he considered that dilemma and noticed his eye was suddenly beginning to water.   
  
"Well, I want cheese on mine, and mustard."  
  
Hoshi accepted their orders with good grace, and then noticed a certain look in Malcolm's eyes, almost as if they were gleaming when he looked at her. And he winked? There! He did it again! Hoshi grinned and threw a slight wink back at Malcolm before leaving.  
  
After the victorious Communications Officer bounced merrily on her way, Travis punched Malcolm on the shoulder. "I thought you were going to stand firm?"  
  
"She's too tricky, that one is," said Malcolm with a firm nod even as he wiped at his eyes. His vision had been bleary enough to miss the quick wink Hoshi had thrown him.  
  
"And why'd you have her work on strengthening her grip? I think I'm going to have a bruise."  
  
"You spend too much time in the chair. Come one, we need to clear a spot in the Armory for supper or Hoshi's going to kill me."   
  
Reed wiped at his eyes as they walked. They were tearing as if an allergen were present. He'd have to see Phlox. As he rubbed his eye, he thought he'd ask the Doctor for the strong antihistamine even if it did make him extremely drowsy.  
  
-----  
  
Tucker and T'Pol sat across from Bukah and Gurtag in the Captain's Mess while Archer was at the head of the table. At Bukah's request, the steward served the Klingons raw fruits and vegetables. Although the food was not meat, the Klingons tore into their meal with gusto.  
  
The blood of ripe tomatoes was soon streaming into their mouth. The flesh of the melon was torn from its rind and the pulp of the avocado was crushed in a fist before being devoured. The corn on the cob was gnawed to the marrow. Tucker was impressed. He'd only ever seen his Cousin Virgil do that when he was really hungry.  
  
"I hope you like our selection," said Archer as he speared a piece of chicken with his fork. The low growling and rumbling in the Klingons' throats reminded Archer of lions eating a gazelle. He decided he would never use a gazelle reference in a speech again. The Captain noticed Tucker was holding back his mirth and neither man had ever seen T'Pol look quite so--green!  
  
"Please tell me more about the Light. It seems to have affected--I mean, changed you," said Archer.  
  
"After our first meeting, I was moved to re-evaluate my ideas about other races, Captain. I spent time speaking with members of the Kumburan family. They are the ones who are closest to enlightenment. A branch has managed to intermarry with all the major families of Kronos. The children are being raised to embrace this enlightenment, to be peacemakers, not only for Klingons, but for the universe."  
  
Tucker began coughing. Klingons as the great peacemakers of the universe was not an idea he was ready to handle. T'Pol now not only looked green, her eyebrow had once again disappeared into her bangs.  
  
"Captain, if I may be excused. I have several reports to review in my quarters," she said.   
  
-----  
  
In the meantime, Sato quickly ran to her quarters to change before going to the galley to get food. She intended to make Malcolm Reed BEG! He'd be down on his knees in front of her... Oh, yes!   
  
She put on her favorite red tank top, her old fit-like-a-glove jeans, and sandals that revealed her elegant feet. She brushed through her hair, smiled at the image in the mirror and went to collect her reward.  
  
"Hope you weren't waiting too long," said Hoshi brightly when she entered the Armory. Travis gave her an appreciative glance and Malcolm--He. Was. YAWNING! At her!   
  
"Hey, man, wake up. Hoshi's here," Travis whispered under his breath while he nudged at Malcolm's ribs. Only the pain of his sharp elbow had an effect on the Lieutenant. He opened his eyes wide.  
  
"I hope I got everything you wanted," began Hoshi. She saw Travis haul Malcolm to the table. So now he was even reluctant to have dinner with her? What had happened to the gleam in his eye? And the winking? Where the hell was the winking! Hoshi was so upset with Malcolm she even forgot to launch into her tirade against the UT. The man was obviously nothing but a tease.   
  
"Bukah seems to be different from when we first met her, doesn't she?"  
  
"Sorry, did you say something?" asked Malcolm of Travis, although it had been Hoshi who was speaking.   
  
"No, I was just eating." Travis just rolled his eyes. He could tell Malcolm was out of it.  
  
Malcolm was trying to stay awake, but had made the mistake of taking two doses of antihistamine instead of one. Damn allergies! Hoshi's derriere looked very appealing in the blue jeans she was wearing, but even that stimulus was insufficient inducement for being alert.   
  
Malcolm tried nibbling at his sandwich, but gave up on it when he almost choked. He resorted to leaning his chin on his hand, but wound up squashing his elbow into the other half of Hoshi's sandwich. His joint left a better impression on the sandwich than the Armory Officer did on the linguist that evening.  
  
"Here, Hoshi, help me carry him back," said Travis. Malcolm's arms were now folded on the table with his head trying to find a comfortable position.   
  
"What? Are we being invaded?" asked Malcolm as they roused him and each took him under an arm.  
  
Malcolm Reed, you have no idea what you're missing, thought Hoshi Sato. Then his head rolled onto her shoulder and nuzzled her hair. His breath was soft against ear and she heard him murmur, "The torpedoes are armed."  
  
I wish, thought Hoshi as they dumped Malcolm on his bed. He landed face down.  
  
"Shouldn't we turn him?" asked Travis.  
  
"Let him suffocate," grumbled Hoshi, but she turned back quickly, grabbed Malcolm's chin and turned his head so that he could breathe. As she turned her back, her sensitive hearing could hear him mumbling, "Nice bum."  
  
"Hey, take a look at this," said Travis. He flashed a deck of cards at Hoshi that had very interesting pictures on the back. "Want to play a game?"  
  
Hoshi looked over at Malcolm. They were being very intrusive of his territory by staying. And he was their superior officer. But he had squashed her sandwich and hopes of a more interesting evening.  
  
"Why not? Malcolm's dead to the world. You deal."  
  
----   
  
"You like these humans," said Gurtag in accusation as he and Bukah walked back to their ship.   
  
"The Light shines in all beings. Besides, why are you concerned?" asked Bukah.   
  
Gurtag merely stiffened. He had not admitted any of his feelings to Bukah. "We are Klingon first."  
  
"You do not let me forget," said Bukah.   
  
They entered their ship and Bukah immediately went to check on the tribbles. Gurtag heard her growl of frustration and turned in surprise. Bukah had not uttered such phrases in over a year. The Klingons stood in front of the cage. The tribbles were gone.  
  
***** 


	3. Hunters

CHAPTER 3: HUNTERS  
  
Jonathan Archer sat in the Captain's chair reviewing the course for the next day. It was his habit before taking his walk through the ship at night. Porthos had his paws on his lap and was wagging his tail. He was anxious for their walk to begin. The lights suddenly began to flicker.  
  
Archer looked up as Porthos gave several sharp barks, but the power came back on. The Captain merely shrugged. You just couldn't trust technology. A few minutes later, it happened again, so Archer called Engineering.   
  
"Trip, can you tell me what the problem is with the power to the bridge? We have flickering lights up here. Power is very inconsistent."  
  
"Cap'n, I'm trying to trace the power glitch now," said Tucker. He, too, was seeing to his daily routine. The Chief Engineer turned the power on the bridge to the back-up system and asked, "How's it doing now?"  
  
"Well, now it's consistent. I'm sitting in the dark up here," said Archer. Porthos was now howling.  
  
Archer heard Tucker mumbling under his breath, but obviously he did something the ship liked. The lights on the bridge soon came on. At that moment, Bukah hailed Archer.  
  
"Captain Archer, we have a problem. The tribbles are missing. It's possible they have escaped into your vessel."  
  
Archer nodded in understanding. "I think we can help you find them, Bukah.  
  
-----  
  
"Here we are, Lieutenant. Just a little psychostimulant to counteract the effects of the antihistamine," said Phlox as he used the hypospray on the Armory Officer.  
  
Reed opened his eyes, but he was still bleary-eyed. He heard voices, but at least they weren't coming from inside his head. That should be a good sign.  
  
"I told you he was out of it," said Sato as she stood there with her hands on her hips. Mayweather had helped drag Reed to sickbay after the call came into his quarters, but had to take his position at helm for manual control of the ship.   
  
"Antihistamines will do that, Ensign," said Phlox. "Lieutenant, it appears that the Enterprise is being invaded."  
  
"What's the problem? Are the Klingons suddenly hostile?" asked Reed.   
  
His brain was trying to generate logical thoughts, but he turned his head only to encounter a blue-jean clad bottom that should only exist in his dreams. Unfortunately his reflexes were too slow and Sato caught him staring. He felt the flush creeping up his neck. Still, he would later swear Hoshi did that little turn that gave her bottom a sassy wiggle on purpose as she moved away from him. Must be the drugs. Reed sat up.  
  
"The Captain needs you to search for the tribbles. The Klingons seem to have lost their cargo," explained Dr. Phlox. "He and T'Pol are with them now."  
  
Reed managed to stand up and lean against the biobed. Tucker entered on cue and dragged him toward a console.  
  
"Do you see what I see?" asked the Engineer as he tapped some buttons on the console in medbay. "Do you see what these critters are doing to the power couplings?"  
  
The officers gathered round the screen with Sato standing at Reed's shoulder. He kept moving his arm because he constantly felt himself rubbing against something soft and perky. He dare not give it a name. Reed blinked several times and tried to interpret the schematics Tucker had presented.  
  
"It would appear that they've created a number of short circuits. It's similar to what happens when squirrels get into a transformer. The first peaks are short, probably produced by one animal at a time. I would say the point of ignition occurs here."   
  
Reed was rather proud of his cognitive abilities as he pointed to the peaks on the chart. His arm bumped into the perkiness again, so he crossed his arms over his chest.   
  
"Ignition?" asked Sato. Did he mean what she thought he meant?  
  
"You know, POOF!" said Reed. That didn't sound very professional, but it was the best he could do with her leaning into him like that.  
  
"What happened to produce that really tall peak?" asked Sato.  
  
"I would say that represents two of the tribbles coupling on the couplings," said Phlox in his normal merry tone.  
  
"What a way to go," offered Tucker.  
  
"Well, finding them should be a simple matter. We can just trace the point of ignition through the systems. See?" Reed pointed to the schematics again. "They seem to like being near the power couplings."  
  
Reed held back a sigh. All of his training was going toward exterminating furry pests. On the other hand, this was probably the only job he was capable of doing in his current state.  
  
"It's gonna be a messy job," said Tucker.  
  
"Stinky, too," agreed Reed.   
  
"Actually, Lieutenant, the tribbles should be completely carbonized, nothing but ash," offered Phlox merrily.  
  
"I suppose that's the good news," said Reed cautiously. "Come on, Trip, we'll brief the security teams and get any spare crewmember to help."  
  
"You're not going to hurt them, are you?" asked Sato with a distressed note.  
  
"The little buggers are already barbecuing themselves." Tucker was not looking forward to the clean-up job.  
  
"We'll handle this expeditiously, Ensign. There is no need to be alarmed." Reed was finally getting into tactical mode now that Sato had quit bumping into him.   
  
"I'm volunteering. What can I do to help?" asked Sato.  
  
"We'll need someone to get into the maintenance tubes in some places," began Reed.  
  
"Okay, but I'm going to change first." Sato had turned on her heel.  
  
"You're dressed just fine, Ensign. We don't have time to waste." Reed was stern.  
  
"I'm going to change into my uniform, SIR," insisted Sato. Reed was about to argue with her again when she rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest and said with emphasis, "Remember?"  
  
Reed finally got the message and Sato was satisfied to see the blush appear. "Of course, we'll wait until you change. Come along, Commander. Let's see to gathering the others."  
  
-----  
  
"I think there's at least thirty more here." Sato's disembodied voice could be heard emanating above Reed.   
  
"Start tossing them down, live ones first," called Reed.   
  
The Lieutenant carried the two sacks while the Ensign tossed down the furballs. One sack contained the tribbles that were squirming while the other contained the ones that had passed on to a merrier life.   
  
Reed braced himself for the flurry. The tribbles would emit a Whee as they tumbled down, then a merry chirp as they landed on their comrades in the sack. The purring in there had reached an almost obscene level already! The other sack contained those tribbles who had not been incinerated, but still managed to expire after reproducing.  
  
Reed and Sato were having the best luck tracking down the tribbles and weren't even relying on technology. Instead they relied on Reed's allergies to alert them to the vicinity where the next group of tribbles was carousing. Then Sato's sensitive hearing would lead them to the area. Still, Sato had to go up a lot of maintenance tubes.  
  
"Ah! I found it!" Sato's squeal of delight surprised Reed.  
  
"I know, you said that already. Keep tossing them down," Reed called up a bit impatiently. His eyeball was simply going to fall out of his face at any moment given how much it was watering.  
  
"I'm not talking about the tribbles. I found my missing top!" Sato waved the item triumphantly through the opening.  
  
"Put that away right now, Ensign. Someone could see you," said Reed.  
  
"Here, you hold it for me. I need my hands free to get to the tribbles."  
  
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" asked Reed as the sports bra fell onto his face.   
  
"Do with what?" asked Tucker as he came around the corner.  
  
Reed crumpled the garment in his hand and stuffed it quickly into a pocket before he turned around. "Hoshi just found more breasties--I mean, beasties, Commander."  
  
"Well, that should be the last of them. Report to the Cap'n when you're done. My engineers are gonna be working all night fixing this mess."  
  
-----   
  
"How many dead?" asked Captain Archer as his officers gave their report.  
  
"One hundred thirty-six, sir," said Reed with precision. One of his eyes was red and watering badly.  
  
"Thirty-seven," insisted Sato. Her hair was a mess, she had smudges on her cheek, but her shirt was ON, damn it!  
  
"I told you the last one wasn't a tribble; it was a rat," said Reed.  
  
"I know a rat when I see one, Lieutenant," said Sato primly.  
  
"Look, the body count don't matter. We recovered six hundred sixty-six of the little fellas alive and that's what's important," said Tucker with a firm nod.  
  
Archer put his head in his hands. The original cargo had been thirteen.   
  
-----  
  
"...and of course we'll do whatever we can to provide adequate compartments for the tribbles on your vessel." Archer smiled reassuringly at Bukah. He crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped she wouldn't insist on only accepting thirteen.   
  
"Thank you for your help, Captain. The children will be pleased to have so many tribbles as pets," said Bukah. "We'll adjust the parameters in the Light Bringer to accommodate the new tribbles. It will be a little uncomfortable, but we will manage."  
  
Gurtag looked much less enthusiastic. All he could think about was the long voyage ahead where he would be surrounded by hissing tribbles.   
  
As they walked to their ship, Bukah turned to Gurtag. "We'll only be able to maintain the comfort of one of our cabins. I suggest you get your things to my quarters so that we can release the last of the tribbles into yours."  
  
Bukah walked away with an enticing sway of her hips. Gurtag smiled. Perhaps the journey home would offer some distractions.   
  
-----  
  
Hoshi stood in her shower enjoying the spray of clean water. How silly of her to think Malcolm had been flirting with her earlier. It was allergies, nothing but allergies that had put the gleam in his eye.   
  
She toweled off, brushed out her hair and opened her drawers. Tonight she needed a sense of comfort. Tonight she needed one special shirt to sleep in. She found the blue t-shirt and reveled in the soft cotton that wrapped her body.   
  
Hoshi looked in the mirror and smiled. If Malcolm Reed wanted his t-shirt back, he'd just have to come and claim it. She settled into her bed for a good night's sleep. Then her eyes opened wide. A fit of giggles suddenly overtook her. Now, what would Malcolm do when he woke up to find her sports bra in his pocket?   
  
Malcolm was oblivious to her musings. He had succumbed to the antihistamines again just after he remembered the garment in his pocket. He absently tossed it over a hook in his bathroom as he drank some water to wash down the allergy medication. He'd maintain the hostage until he got his t-shirt back, he thought stubbornly. That night he dreamt of power couplings, furry creatures and blue jean clad temptresses.  
  
*****  
  
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary. 


End file.
